Misguided Concerns about “Modernization”

UCS organized a press briefing last Friday to explain why the current focus on “modernizing” U.S. nuclear weapons is misguided. The briefers were Dick Garwin, Lisbeth Gronlund, and Stephen Young. A summary of the main points are available here.

What really matters is not how modern the technology is but whether the weapons are reliable, safe from accidental detonation and secure from unauthorized nuclear detonation.

[E]ven with adequate funds it is critical that the labs get their priorities right. It is especially important that large capital expenditures do not displace the funding needed to sustain a high-quality staff and to conduct the stockpile surveillance inspections and analysis necessary to evaluate the state of the U.S. nuclear stockpile.

Support from UCS members make work like this possible. Will you join us? Help UCS advance independent science for a healthy environment and a safer world.

Show Comments

Comment Policy

UCS welcomes comments that foster civil conversation and debate. To help maintain a healthy, respectful discussion, please focus comments on the issues, topics, and facts at hand, and refrain from personal attacks. Posts that are commercial, self-promotional, obscene, rude, or disruptive will be removed.

Please note that comments are open for two weeks following each blog post. UCS respects your privacy and will not display, lend, or sell your email address for any reason.

Support Our Work

David Wright, physicist and co-director of the UCS Global Security Program, is an established expert on the technical aspects of arms control, particularly those related to missile defense systems, missile proliferation, and space weapons.